Railway crossing or frog.



UNITED sT 'r s PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. LEWIS, OF STEELTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PENNSYLVANIASTEEL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY CROSSING OR FROG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Steelton, Dauphin county, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Crossings orFrogs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 isa plan view of a crossing or frog in which my invention is embodied, thekeys and drifts being omitted for perspicuity. Fig. 2 is a section online as m, Fig. 1, with the keys and drifts in place. Figs. 3, 4, and 5are respectively sections on lines y 2 z z, and v 11, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 isa perspective of a key. Fig. 7 is a section on line at M, Fig. 6.

This invention relates to street-railway crossings or frogs in which ahard-metal wear-plate made separate from the base or body of thestructure is detachably secured thereto.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved means for thusfastening the wear-plate.

The precise nature of the invention will appear from the followingdescription.

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes the body or base ofa crossing ofusual form, and 2 the detachable wear-plate, which rests in a depression3 of the base.

In carrying out my invention I make in the base a channel 4, thatextends from a point in the top of the base to one side of and adjacentto the end of the wear-plate, transversely and downwardly in said base,to the longitudinal middle line of the latter or there about, as bestseen in Fig. 2. The form of said channel in cross-section is seen inFig. 5. It is open at one side and at the top and closed at the bottom.The wall 4 of the channel opposite the open side is out under orinclined, as seen in said Fig. 5. Opposite this channel 4 is anotherchannel 5, which is open at the side toward the first channel and alsoat the top and, similarly to the first channel, eX- tends from a pointbeyond the line of the side of the wear-plate downwardly to the middleline of the latter, as seen in Fig. 2 and indicated by dotted lines inFig. 3. Between these two channels is an open space that extends fromthe line of the bottom of said channels to thetop of the base 1. EX-

tending from the opposite side of the wearplate into the base 1 arechannels 6 and 7, which are respectively duplicates of the channels 4and 5, and there is also an open space between these latter channelssimilar to that between the first two. The channel 6 is opposite to andits inner end communicates with the channel 4 on the opposite side ofthe wear-plate, and the channel 5 is opposite to and its inner endcommunicates with the channel 7 on the opposite side of the wearplate.The channels 5 and 6 are simply square (in cross-section) recesseswithin the base for the insertion of drifts whose inner ends abutagainst keys within the channels 4 and 7, that are similar to eachother, all as hereinafter set forth.

Depending from the under side of the nal middle of the wear-plate isinclined similarly to the corresponding wall of the channel 7, whichwill of course be the reverse of that of channel 4that is, both thewalls are inclined or undercut into the base 1. When the wear-plate isplaced in position in and on the base 1, the said projection 8 (orrather pro jections, there being in practice usually simi larprojections and corresponding channels adjacent each end of thewear-plate, as seen) is entered into the before-mentioned space betweenthe channels 4 and 5 and 6 and 7, thereby closing the open sides of saidchannels, thus forming passage-ways of the channels 4 and 7 of rhomboidform in cr0sssection, as seen in Fig. 5, and passage-ways of thechannels 5 and 6 of rectangular form in cross-section. I

Referring to Figs. 2, 6, and 7, 10 is a key which is rhomboidal incross-section, as seen in Fig. 7, and is tapering on the sides, so as toconstitute a wedge, as seen in Fig.6. This wedge-key (or rather thesewedge-keys, there being one for each of the channels 4 and 7) is driveninto the channel 4, and a similar key is driven into the oppositepassageway 7. The tendency of one of these keys is to force theprojection 8that is, the wearplate-in one direction against the verticalwall of the space occupied bysaid projections,

thus securely holding the wear-plate in place against lateral orvertical displacement.

It is immaterial what the passage-ways and 6 may be in cross-section, astheir sole purpose is to receive drifts 1 1 for driving out the keyswhen necessary. The said passageways 5 and 6 are preferably curvilinear,as seen in Fig. 2, and in each of the same I insert a drift 11, also ofcorresponding shape. When for any reason it is required to remove thewear-plate, the said drifts are driven in by a suitable tool, so as toeject or loosen the wedge-keys 10, which may then be removed I that thekeys shall be wedge-shaped. 'however, desirable that they shall act aswedges, because otherwise to be effective or satisfactory it wouldrequire a close fit of the key in the passage-ways 4 and 7.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters 0 Patent- 1 In a crossing or frog of the kind recited, thecombination of the base having the depression, the wear-plate seated insaid depression and means for detachably securing said wear-plate tosaid base consisting of the channels in the base having the inclinedinner walls, the projection on the under side of the wear-plate havingthe inclined sides forming with'said walls of said channels passagewaysextending from opposite'sides of the top of said base adjacent the sidesrespectively of said wearlate to approximately the longitudinal mlddleline thereof, the drift-receiving passage-ways extending from the "topof said base to and communicating with the first-mentioned passage-waysrespectively, together with the double-inclined keys within saidfirst-mentioned passageways, and the drifts in said second-mentionedpassage-ways, substantially as set forth.

2. In a crossing or frog of the kind recited, the combination of thebase having the depression, the-wear-plate seated in said depression andmeans for detachably securing said wear-plate to said base consisting ofthe channels in the base having the inclined inner walls, the projectionon the under side of said we ar-pl ate having the inclined sides formingwith said walls of said channels passageways extending from oppositesides of the top of said base adjacent the sides respectively of saidwear-plate to approximately the longitudinal middle line thereof, thedrift-receiving passage-ways extending from the top of said base to andcommunicating with the first-mentioned passage-ways respectively, and ofcurvilinear form, together with the double-inclined keys within saidfirst-mentioned passage-ways, and the curvilinear drifts in saidsecond-mentioned passage-ways, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- JAMES E. LEWIS.

fixed my signature.

Witnesses:

G. W. RECIEOEHL, B. L. WEAVER.

